I’ve already answered this question by choosing WordPress blog platform for Daw Web Hosting Blog. WordPress is probably the most popular blogging platform because it is reliable and free for use. And one of the main advantages of this platform is that it can be hosted with any web hosting provider.
Of course many people prefer not to loose time to install and configure their blogs. That’s why many of them use some of the popular blogging platforms such as Blogger.com, Blog.com, TypeAd.com and etc.
Please be adviced that most of those networks do not take responsibility to back up or to keep your works. That means you are solely reponsible for your blog. This is the main reason not to use free blogging platforms. They work the way free web hosts do.
It is much better to use paid web hosting account and paid hosting platform. It is not just more reliable. It is branded because your blog will be recognized under its own domain name.
A good “How To…” article about blogging can be found in ProBlogger.